Dr. Alan Rabinowitz passed away last month at age 65 after a prolonged struggle with leukemia. A distinguished zoologist and preservationist, he co-founded an organization, Panthera, to help preserve endangered big cats in their natural habitats.
Dr. Rabinowitz coped with stuttering for his whole life, and it was part of his mission to spread acceptance and understanding of the problem. He never shied away from talking about it and educating the public about it.
In memory of him, we are featuring a review of a children's book he wrote, A Boy and a Jaguar. This is a very moving children's book about his life, his struggle with stuttering and his love for animals. The first part is about his childhood when, on a trip to a zoo he was captivated by a jaguar in a cage, and knew he wanted to help big cats (and preferably keep them out of cages). Like a lot of people who stutter, he could talk fluently if he was alone with animals. Subsequently he had lots of pets!
In the second part of the book he depicts his journey into the jungle of Belize as an adult to track jaguars and study them. He spurred the government of Belize to create a sanctuary for endangered cats.
Dr. Rabinowitz would always say that he was grateful for his stuttering, because without it he would never have found his life's passion: protecting wildlife and big cats in particular.
There are many worthwhile interviews with him on Youtube, but here is one where he speaks specifically about his book, A Boy and a Jaguar. You can purchase the book on Amazon.